The Red Doll
by TheWierdSissters
Summary: Innocence is often the first casualty of poverty. In a place like Bludhaven, innocence is almost unheard of. Marionette is just another such casualty, spawned in that dark city. Based off of the Batman Begins story arch, rated for extreme violence


The Red Doll

Come Out and Play

A filthy warehouse stood with broken windows and dingy bricks. It stood among many others just like it. The only difference between them was all the others were empty.

Through the busted door and amid all the garbage and rubble, sat a little girl. Bludhaven was no place for a little girl to be all alone, yet here she was. She sat on the dirty floor in a dress that should have been white, but was now covered in stains. Her platinum hair hung in wisps about her face and down her back. Only her eyes made sure there was no mistake, she was of Bludhaven. Though beautiful, blue and shinning, they were cold and empty just like all the other residents of the city.

Suddenly she stood. Then she turned and ran silently out of the warehouse.

"Shit." Marlon gasped.

He stumbled past rows of dark and dirty warehouses. His ribs broken and his ankle twisted made for a very slow walk indeed. And still he was so far from safety.

It had been such a stupid idea to take this job. Marlon told himself that over and over as he limped to the hideout. The task of trying to catch the Red Doll and been open for a while. Many had tried, all had failed, and all had died. Marlon was only alive now because he had not actually found the Red Doll. He had, however, managed to find the Lolita's, the gang Red Doll worked for.

Since they had been little girls and he was a six foot, two inch, broad shouldered man, he had thought he could take it. What harm could they possibly do to him? It turned out, in fact, they could do an awful lot of harm. Now six foot, two inch, broad and strong Marlon stumbled along bloody and broken.

Much as he was loathe to admit it, Marlon was terrified. He had managed to escape the little she-devils, but only barely. Now he was injured and alone in the dead of night and dead center of Bludhaven.

Worst of all, the Red Doll had not been with her gang. That meant that she was still out there… somewhere. She may even have been tracking him…..

Marlon stopped, startled by his own thoughts and looked around. He saw nothing but filth, no little girls. It had to have been his mind playing tricks on him. He could have sworn he heard a small giggle. But no, Marlon walked on repeating over to himself that he was stupid and imagining things.

Even if he had been quiet, he wouldn't have heard the little girl following him, jumping along the rooftops of the warehouses.

The little girl giggled softly to herself as the silly man below jumped at nothing, looking stupidly around. He could look as hard as he wanted, but he wouldn't see her. No one did, at least not until it was too late.

She smirked. They really did make it all too easy. The man walked on and so did she. Hopping from roof to roof, she listened to the stupid man talking to himself. This was her favorite part, the absolute fear that emanated from people as they sensed their deaths drawing over the horizon. That metallic tingle of horror was the only thrill she got, seeing as no one posed any challenge to her. Killing was easy. Torture was art. And she had always seen herself as an artist.

This unfortunate man would be a masterpiece. The biggest boys always made the best toys.

The stupid man was walking right into her trap. It was all she could do to stay calm and be patient. Slowly but surely, they man hobbled into position and the little girl made her move.

Marlon came to a rundown hooded bridge. Shaking with nerves he crossed the threshold into the shadows. As he moved farther in he heard the creak of footsteps. Turning wildly on the spot, he lost his balance and fell to his knees.

Standing in front of him was a little girl. She wore a stained doll dress and was staring at him with cold blue eyes through curtains of pale blonde hair. She smiled a sweet and deadly smile.

"You were looking for me, but I found you first," Said the girl, flashing him another fanged grin.

"You… you're Red Doll?" Marlon's' voice shook, and it became clear to him just what a waste his life had been. Seventeen is too young to die. What about all those things he had yet to do?

The Red Doll smiled at him. "That's what they call me? Red Doll? What a clever name and what do they call you?"

"M-Marlon…"

"Oh? Marlon…" she giggled. "I've got something special for you Marlon, a gift!" She walked over to a hole in the siding of the bridge and pulled out a large canvas bag. Dragging it over to Marlon, she removed a large knife, a rusted spiked winch and a black silk cloth.

The next movement she made was so quick Marlon never even saw it. All he knew was that quite suddenly he was bleeding from the wrists and ankles and he could no longer move. His body wouldn't budge.

The Red Doll then tied the black cloth around Marlon's mouth so he couldn't make a sound; could barely even breathe in fact.

"Marlon you have clearly over estimated yourself. Now is your chance to prove how strong you really are." Grinning like a maniac she cut a large, deep gash into his abdomen, and then she plunged her delicate little hand into Marlon's stomach cavity. He tried to scream; but not a sound would come out, the pain was so great it was stupefying. Through watering eyes he looked down to see the girl attaching his intestines to one of the rusted spikes on the winch.

"If you live through five minutes of this game I will leave you. But if I were you, I'd hope for death. For when I leave there won't be another person by this way for several hours." Giggling she started to crank the winch.

Incomprehensible pain exploded in Marlon's gut. The more he tried to cry out the more his throat seemed to constrict. He started to shake uncontrollably, weeping silently. 'This isn't fair! I'm too young!' Marlon thought, screaming in his head. 'Why did I have to be so stupid? Is this how all the others died? I don't want to die…. I don't. Want. To DIE!'

By the time three minutes had passed roughly six feet of Marlon's intestines were wrapped around the winch and Red Doll was heaving with hysterical laughter. She loved the panic and despair that oozed from the dying. Torture was indeed a beautiful work of art.

Another minute later however Marlon's body had stopped twitching; his intestines were entwined in the winch and sprawled on the ground five feet around his body. Red Doll sighed with boredom; it always went too quickly and too easily. With nothing left to do, she decided to report back to the Lolita's.

Humming to herself, Red Doll skipped away from the freakish carnage that was Marlon, the big, strong, stupid man. But, he had been lucky to die as the first person to discover his body was the junk yard guard, who happened upon what was left of Marlon thirteen hours after the Red Doll had departed.


End file.
